Eabeic



J. W. SNEDEKER.

FABRIC.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, 1919.

Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. SNEDEKER,

OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN.

FABRIC.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, JAMES W. Snnnnxnn, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Adrian, in the county of Lenawee and State of Michigan, have invented a. new and Improved Fabric, of which the following'is a specification.

This invention relates to fabrics of the same general type as that produced on the machine shown in my prior Patent No. 1,243,353, dated October 16, 1917, and its object is to provide a fabric of this character which can be produced at minimum cost, and which when employed as a belt will run straight on the pulleys.

This invention consists in a fabric composed of strands comprising alternating flat helices and fiat corrugated wire ribbons, the ribbons at their corners interlocking with similar parts of the two adjacent helices. It further consists in forming a portion of the helices right-handed and the others lefthanded. It also consists in interlocking an end of each helix with an end of an adjacent corrugated wire ribbon by bending the end of each member back upon itself, the end of the helix being bent in a plane at right angles to the general plane of the fabric, and the end of the corrugated wire being bent in the general plane of the structure.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front and Fig. 2 an end elevation of a section of this fabric. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a short section of flat helix. Fig. A is a front and Fig. 5 an end elevation of a section of a preferred form of this fabric.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Fabrics of this general character have been produced in the manner described in the above-named patent, in which each strand was in the form of a fiat helix. I have found that these helices 1 in Figs. 1 and 2 need not interlock with each other but that they may alternate and interlock with wavy or corrugated wire ribbons 2 which are all in the plane of the fabric. Because of the fact that these ribbons are flat, they require about ten per cent. less material than do the flat helices so that the net saving is about five per cent. above another fabric composed entirely of helices but similar in all other respects.

It will be noticed that the ends of the helices 1 are bent to foim eyes 3 which are Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 3, 1919.

Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

Serial No. 280,343.

at right angles to the general plane of the fabric, and that the eyes 4 at the ends of the flat members 2 are in the plane of the fabric. This permits the fabric to be freely bent or wound into rolls without stressing the metal at these eyes.

These fabrics have been used for belts to a large extent, but in some cases it was found that these belts had a tendency to travel laterally, or endwise of the pulleys around which they extended. This difficulty is entirely overcome by making a portion of the helices right-handed, preferably every other one. and the others left-handed. In Fig. 4 the flat helices 5 are right-handed and the helix 6 is left-handed. Any tendency of a helix 5 to slip to the right in Fig. 4:, because of the engagement of the inclined portions 7 of this helix'with the face of the pulley is counteracted by the tendency of the helix 6 to slip to the left because of the engagement of its inclined portions 8 with the face of the pulley. The bending of the eyes 3 and t as above described becomes of great importance when the fabric is used as a belt as these eyes do not impose any lateral pulls on the strands of the fabric. It will of course be understood that the strands 5 and 6 are separated by fiat corrugated strands 2 as above described.

The sizes and proportions of the strands and the angles of the corrugations and the pitch of the helices may all be changed to meet the various problems which may present themselves without departing from the spirit of my invention disclosed in the following claims. Thus instead of forming alternate members flat helices they may be wound in any other desired cross-section so long as they can be readily combined w1th alternate wavy ribbons.

I claim 1. A fabric formed of alternating fiat helices and flat corrugated wire ribbons interlocking with the adjacent helices.

2. A fabric formed of alternating helices cent ends of the members being bent to form interlOcking eyes, the eyes at the ends of the helices being at right angles to the plane of the fabric and the eyes at the ends of the flat ribbons being in the plane of the fabric.

5. A fabric formed of alternating helices and corrugated wire ribbons interlocking with the adjacent helices, adjacent ends of the members being bent to form interlocking eyes, the eyes atthe ends of the helices being at right angles to the plane of the fabric and the eyes at the ends of the ribbons being in the plane of the fabric.

6. A fabric formed of metal helices disposed parallel to each other and flat corrugated wire ribbons, the wire ribbons interlocking with the adjacent helices.

. JAMES W. SNEDEKER. 

